California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a legal alert to assist California local officials in processing housing development project applications consistently, fairly, and lawfully. Housing development project applications are official requests submitted to local authorities for approval to build new housing projects. The Permit Streamlining Act was enacted in 1977 to streamline and clarify the processing of permits for all development projects. Local agencies, including charter cities, are required to determine whether a development application is complete, and convey that determination to the applicant, within 30 days of receipt. If deemed incomplete, applicants can revise and resubmit their applications within 90 days thereafter, in a process designed to iteratively refine a development application until it is complete. This process is referred to as the "90-Day Rule."
“In recent years, the California Legislature has passed numerous bills to address our housing shortage crisis, and my office is committed to being part of the solution,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The legal alert we are issuing today is important because, unfortunately, some local governments are misinterpreting laws that were intended to add certainty and reduce conflict in the approval process for housing projects. We can’t let that confusion continue because it’s California’s families who pay the high housing costs of unaffordable housing or a long commute when local governments use unfair and unpredictable processes to block needed housing. Our focus must be on results, not delay for the sake of delay."